I posted a week or two ago that the only venue in my area that had open mics had shot down. Well, goo news! they're back at a club across the street from the old one! I got hold of the guy who was running the opem mics at the old place and he told me that he had started a new one at the club acros the street on Monday nights! So we are back in business. Can't wait to get out there and try out some of the new songs I'd learned since te other one shut down 2 months ago!
Regards,
Mike
"Growing Older But Not UP!"
Have fun! 8)
Dan
"The only way I know that guarantees no mistakes is not to play and that's simply not an option". David Hodge
Good places are hard to find...
There was a good one here near Brisbane...but the licensing restrictions caused it to shut down.
I really do think it's a good money-spinner, too, if a person can convince a place with a Cabaret License to turn the club over for one night a week to an enterprising individual...
Cat
"Feel what you play...play what you feel!"
I really do think it's a good money-spinner, too, if a person can convince a place with a Cabaret License to turn the club over for one night a week to an enterprising individual...
Cat
Absolutely, Cat. An open mike not only brings in the performers themselves, but often friends of performers and others who just want to check things out. Our open mikes at the old location varied in terms of patronage. Sometimes the crowds were a bit thin but several nights it was packed. The average I'd say was pretty good.
It seems the key is to be drawing performers. If you can have a half dozen or more folks to play each night it works great. In our case we had a handful of regular performers who would come most weeks and then some others who would come in and out. That would give is about 6-12 people every night. Then you need a committed peron or persons to hold it all together.
Regards,
Mike
"Growing Older But Not UP!"
Hiya, Mike...
There was a GOOD one in Ashmore...a Gold Coast suburb. It was a registered club...so it was private. Great PA, great drum kit...a half-dozen great amps...all on a three-foot-high platform. The place had everything you'd want..even a brained-pout acoustic setup...all except a liquor license. The cops just did NOT want the palce to exist and they finally harrassed it out of existence.
Out where I am now is a small weekend jazz club. My oldest boy's in uni for sound engineering so he gets $50 a night to run the PA...but not any more. Some idiot wanted "his guitar more up front" so he walked over to the board and threw the pans all to his (left) side...and overloaded the left speaker bank.
Besides these hassles...there's the clientele to consider. Now I'm probably one of the most liberal dudes you'd come across (yep...Woodstock) but as soon as someone lights up a doobie...the end is near for the enterprise. All in all...NOTHING can be left up to the participants other than jamming.
My point is that this needs to be done RIGHT! The "how" escapes me...
Any ideas, anyone???
:?
Cat
"Feel what you play...play what you feel!"
Wow, Cat, sound like you really have had some issues with your open mikes. Don't know what to say; yes, the clientele and the venue make all the difference.
Anyhow, I went to my first open mike at thenew place last night. Got there around 9 PM. No one was there, but the staff siad, yes, they were having one that night. So the wife and I ordered drinks and waited around. Long about after the second beer, maybe close to an hour, we were thinking of leaving when one of the regulars from the old open mike strolled in. Shortly after, the host of the open mike comes in and sets up. So we didn't really get things kicked off until maybe around 10:30. That's about an hour later than I was expecting.
Anyhow, we did get to perform our four song set; there were four performers- all regulars from the old open mike. This was the third week at the new venue. Thing is, if it always starts that late I don't know how many of these I'm going to make. I still got to work a day job. A lot of the other folks are students or work weird hours and so don't have to fget up in the morning. I mean, I was okay this morning with about 5 hours sleep but I don't know how much of this I'm going to be able to take.
At least our set did go off well. Not too many patrons in the place, though- on a Monday night after 10 o'clock.
Regards,
Mike
"Growing Older But Not UP!"
Yeah, Mike...when they do "work"...it's a good time for all.
An old friend took me to the one in Ashmore when it was in its heyday. There was a good drummer (a regular) my friend (keys) then me. We got off on a decent R45 (what else?) with different bassists coming and going...until this guy just in from the West Indies (bassist) picked up the vibe and steered us (like a PRO!) toward a Reggae beat to the R45. THEN we got to cookin'!
But then some idiot climbed up, plugged his Strat in...and buzz sawed (I'm talkin' so loud my pants legs were flappin' from the speakers) blusey upbeat 7ths through the Reggae downbeat vibe with no bleedin' end in sight. I mean on and on and on and ON!!! Then some rather soused gal got up with a blues harp...it got funny from then on...with a guy playing (interchangeably, and all out of tune) a flute and sax. All's I was waiting for was a glockenspiel to show up. The few of us that were "on" all walked off...leaving the others to their demise. Embarrasing. I mean there was a good Fellini vibe to it all...but the soundtrack was unearthly!
My point...
Somehow there's gotta be some sort of way to get it right. I've toyed with the idea of leasing out a nice place in Surfers for quite some time to get one up and running.
Cat
"Feel what you play...play what you feel!"
